Day Job
by Shinoru Aki Ameagari
Summary: A sixteen year old girl whose greatest wish is for majic to exist gets a part time job at the shop that sells dreams... but with the reapearance of D's father, Hers may be the one wish the shop will not grant.
1. Entrance

Day Job 

I am incredibly sorry, but I do not have the knowledge to take Icy Skies any farther than I have in the direction I want to take it, so it is on Hiatus for a while. I am getting a little sick of writing Inuyasha, so here is something from my very favorite Series ever, Petshop of Horrors. Yes, Lauren is modeled after me… just a little bit! But really, not exactly… I just wanted to add my own character…

Disclaimer: I don't own Petshop of Horrors. I own several characters in this story, but several of them I don't. Don't Sue!

Lauren turned her head as the wind gusted once again, blowing her curly hair into her eyes. Some people had hair that naturally flowed gently in the wind. Lauren's just got in her eyes. She shoved the mass of tangled curls behind he ear. It was a useless endeavor, but she couldn't help but try. She held her unruly hair in a loose ponytail with one hand while she scanned the row of buildings.

She wasn't exactly sure how she had ended up in Chinatown. She had been walking downtown, looking for a place that would hire her for the summer, and somehow she had ended up here.

"Restaurant, Restaurant, Restaurant, Gift Shop, Restaurant, not sure…" She mumbled, reading the signs posted in several languages, only one of which she spoke.

A tree at the end of the block rustled and through the leaves she glimpsed the edge of one more storefront. It was a beautifully carved and painted column running down the edge of the building situated on the corner of the block. She ran to the edge of the block, pushing through the leaves of the tree and entering the awning.

As she stepped up to the door, Lauren got the feeling she had been transported into another world. She stared up at the sign, the wind gusting her hair back almost painfully. "A… a pet shop? In Chinatown?" She said, out loud but almost a whisper.

She stepped inside the elaborately furnished sitting room, and the feeling that she was in another world increased. An assortment of beautiful and interestingly dressed people dotted the couches and the ground. A curl of incense smoke drifted lazily through the air. In her dreamlike state, Lauren didn't even question the lack of pets.

A woman wearing a tight fitting striped Chinese dress raised her head from where she had been languidly draped over the back of the couch. "Come on in, honey. No need to be afraid!" She said in a soothing if slightly condescending tone of voice.

The sound of her voice roused another sleeper, a longhaired young man who had been napping under the couch. Lauren looked down as he crawled out, glaring slightly at being woken. He blinked hazily and moved his gaze up to rest on Lauren. His eyes lit up as he saw her, glowing with a feral light. He smiled, and Lauren shivered involuntarily.

"Ah! Feeding time already, then?" He said with obvious delight, crossing the distance to Lauren in one swift movement. "I see the count is in a generous mood today!" He said, lifting her of the ground and grinning. The woman on the back of the couch looked up and 'tsk'ed softly.

"Ah, T-chan, T-chan." She smiled. "This girl is not your dinner! She is a customer!" The man, now identified as T-chan, dropped Lauren and looked at her sheepishly.

"I knew that! Just having a bit of… fun, neh?" He smiled questioningly at her. She grinned back weakly.

"Fun. Yeah." She offered her hand out and then drew it swiftly back and stepped backwards a few steps. "I'm Lauren. It's, uh, nice to meet you, Mr…"

"T-chan." He said, his face reverting to its habitual glare. Lauren smiled, still keeping a safe distance.

"Alright, T-chan. Nice to meet you." She said. The woman slid off the back of the couch.

"I'm Ella, honey. Don't mind T-chan. He doesn't eat customers." Lauren looked up at the taller woman, relieved to see a kind face.

"Is this your shop?" She asked. Ella laughed a little.

"My shop?" She repeated. "Farthest thing from it!" She said. "No, the man you are looking for would be Count D. He should be along any minute." The almost silent sound of footsteps sounded in the hallway. "That's him now, honey." Ella told her. Lauren glanced up as a painted rice-paper door slid softly open and the tall, black haired figure of a man stepped out.

"A customer? Why didn't you tell me, Ella?" He asked. He turned his attention to Lauren. "Please sit down, miss."

"L- Lauren." She said, in a half whisper. She glanced at the couch he had gestured to. It was almost completely occupied by a tall blond man, passed out drunk. Ella lounged above him, her fingers resting lightly in his hair. She turned to T-chan.

"T-chan, I believe your little friends are in Honlon's room." She said softly, but in a firm tone of voice." T-chan scowled.

"Those happy idiots are not my friends." He muttered under his breath as he stalked off in the direction of the back of the shop, disappearing through a door.

Lauren sat delicately on the edge of the couch and focused her attention back on the count, building up her courage. "Would you like some Tea, Lauren?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yes please." She sat in silence as he prepared the tea. When it was poured, He brought out a plate with small cakes arranged on it in patterns.

"Please, take a cake. I just got these today, and am most eager to hear your opinion." He said. Lauren sipped her tea. "Now tell me, what sort of pet are you looking for? Let us work together to find the perfect companion for you."

Lauren gathered up her courage. "Actually, sir, I am not looking for a pet. I… I am, that is, I was… well, I came in here to ask… Are you hiring? Are you looking for help for the summer?" Count D blinked.

"To tell you the truth, the possibility hadn't even crossed my mind." He said, surprised. Lauren fidgeted.

"Oh… of course. I guess you wouldn't need any more help with all of these people around." For a second she could have sworn she saw the counts eyes widen in genuine shock, but he composed his features so quickly that she couldn't discount the idea that her eyes were merely playing tricks on her.

"You know what?" The count said, his dead serious tone belying his casual words. "We are hiring."

_She… She can see them…._

Authors notes: This series is going to have much shorter chapters and, hopefully, much more frequent updates than Icy Skies ever did. After this first chapter, I will probably be writing from other points of view, as well as introducing more of the main characters, like Leon, Chris, Honlon, Pon-chan, Ten-chan, Phillipe and several others, as well as a few more of my own characters. Look forward to it!


	2. Morning Mist

**Day Job**

Chapter Two: Morning Mist

I am actually for once starting a new chapter on the same day I finish the old one! It is nice to have inspiration for a story for once. All this forced writing takes its toll… So far, I really like this story. I hope I get some feedback on it…

The morning chill still clung to the ground when Lauren set off for her first day of work. She had woken with dawn, taking a few moments to watch the sky fade to pale blue before heading off for a quick shower.

Now she strode forcefully down the streets of Chinatown, heading towards the pet shop. It had been a few months since she had had her first encounter with the shop and its enigmatic owner, and since then she had not been back. But today was her first day at her new job, and she was determined to make a good impression. She pushed past the leaves of the tree that had originally blocked the shop from her view.

There it stood before her, seeming all the more mysterious in the swirling mist of the morning. Her new workplace. She pushed through the latticework of the doors, letting them shut lightly behind her. She glanced around, inhaling the scent of incense. It seemed as though nothing had changed. Ella was still lounging on the back of the couch. The tall blond man was still passed out drunk on the couch. She scanned under the couch and let out a sigh of relief. It seemed T-chan, at least, was missing from the scene…

A teenage girl that Lauren had seen before raised her head, shaking out her hair and fixing a steady gaze on Lauren. "You're back." She said. Lauren nodded.

"Well, yeah… I mean I do _work _here after all…" The girl blinked.

"I had forgotten." The girl said. With that said, she closed her eyes, and nothing Lauren said could convince her to open them up again. Ella laughed softly, a pleasant and soothing sound.

"Don't mind her…" she smiled kindly. "Bamboo's always like that. It's better than her murderous moods, I can tell you that." Lauren stepped a few paces back.

"Murderous moods?" She asked. Ella's smile never faltered.

"Yeah. Usually at night though. She mainly sleeps during the day, though in the very early morning she is usually demanding and whiny… I guess we skipped that today." Lauren sighed just a little with relief. She hadn't signed on for the night shift.

She sat indelicately on the pony-tailed man, detective Orcott, as Count D had called him. He woke up and groaned, raising his hand to his forehead. "It's your own fault, you know." She told him. "Alchoholics never end well." Ella nodded reproachfully.

"Neither do girls who sit on the stomachs of complete strangers with headaches." He told her. "How 'bout you get up, then start by telling me who you are?" Lauren sighed and stood up.

"We have met before. You were just passed out. That's what you get for-"

"Enough, Enough. I get the point!" He shouted, standing up to his full height before sagging back onto the couch, lowering his head into his hands.

"I'm Lauren. Count D hired me for the summer. Therefore, I work here." Orcott blinked tiredly at her.

"What's D want with a little girl?" he muttered, mainly to himself.

"A good worker, I'm sure." She answered coldly.

"Hmph. Another fan of the Count." He said, sarcastically.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of _my couch _this morning." Lauren turned to see count D standing behind her.

"Ah! Count D, he is awake!" D turned to face her.

"Yes, I can see that… Lauren, would you fetch this man some tea?" He said, seeming strained to retain some vestige of politeness. Lauren was grateful for the excuse to leave the room as D and the detective broke out into one of their constant fights.

She walked into the kitchen and stopped. Yes, tea, but what kind? Two walls of the kitchen were full of jars and bottles of loose-leaf tea. She turned away from that problem for the moment and focused on boiling some water before turning back to the dilemma at hand. It seemed as if the more she looked at the walls of tea, the bigger they seemed to become. What was more, she could have sworn that a type of tea she had just passed was gone when she got back… she turned her mind back to scanning. What kind of tea would the detective want? Which kinds were for guests? Were there rare or expensive teas here that should not be served for anything but special occasions?

A rustling from above startled her. She looked up and saw a boy perched in one of the higher shelves. She hadn't noticed him before, which was strange, seeing as it was not a large kitchen. He scrambled down limberly and touched down on the counter, bending down to look at her.

"Tea for the detective, eh?" He asked her, and she sighed inwardly with relief. He seemed to know what he was doing. He reached up onto the second shelf and pulled down a small glass jar with a label written in elegant handwriting. She bent closer to examine it.

"Tea for the Detective." She said, and laughed. "The count has, what, every tea that ever existed and then some?" she asked.

"Pretty much." He answered with a smile. Still, it didn't quite seem like he was joking… He reached his hand out. "Ten-chan." He said. She grasped it and shook it.

"Lauren."

The kettle whistled, breaking the silence, and Lauren began to prepare the tea, following the directions on the back. She had taken a class once a few years back, and therefore had at least some measure of skill.

Ten-chan walked over to admire her work. "So." He said, and she looked up. "Just out of curiosity, what's your deepest desire?" She thought for a moment.

"The power to grant my wishes on my own." She answered finally.

"Good answer." He said. "We hold a lot of stock in wishes around here. We are, after all, supposed to be granting them… "

Authors Notes: Yay for chapter two-ishness! I managed to finish writing it a day after chapter 1, but it is too late to post it tonight… I might get it up tomorrow. Hmm… I wonder who I will make Lauren end up with… probably T-chan or Ten-chan… but not D. Or Ella. For those who are interested, Ella is modeled after my cat Louie, and Bamboo after my cat… Bamboo. The characters are also both cats. Thank you for the review chapter 1 got!


	3. D is for Daycare?

**Day Job**

Chapter3: D is for… Daycare?

"Hey, Lauren!" Lauren turned. She had been so occupied with her work, which for now was mucking out stalls in the petshop's stables, that she hadn't noticed T-chan sneaking up behind her. "Don't worry." He said, frowning. "The count doesn't want me to eat you, so I won't… for now at least. I just wanted to tell you that you are on daycare duty."

"Daycare?" Lauren asked, surprised. T-chan grimaced.

"Yeah. 'If you won't fetch Chris in for tea and get him settled for a nap, then just get Lauren to do it. Unlike you, she _has _an attention span…' That's what the count said. So, here I am." Lauren smiled at him, still keeping a safe distance.

"Who's Chris?" She asked.

"The Detective's kid brother. He's a good kid." T-chan answered, almost smiling, but with emphasis on the almost.

"And here I was thinking this was a pet shop… there are kids here, but no pets!" She said, annoyed.

"Chris is in Philippe's room. Three doors that way, make a left and go in the second door on the right." T-chan told her, avoiding the question her previous statement had held.

"Got it." She sighed, and turned away, walking towards the door.

She followed the turnings through the corridors that she was just beginning to become familiar with. It was strange. The shop hadn't looked this big from the outside. No one had bothered to explain, so she had learned not to ask. "Three… left… two doors… on the right…" She repeated, memorizing the instructions and making all the appropriate turnings.

She burst through the door and blinked, temporarily blinded by the sunlight.

_There… There's an ocean in the pet shop?_ Lauren stared in shock, almost not registering a little blond boy climbing out of the water under the sun that beat down on her.

It was raining outside this morning… 

The boy ran up to her, shining droplets falling out of his hair. He was smiling. **_"Hey. I'm Chris. Wait, what am I doing! She can't hear me…"_**

"Hey, Chris!" She said, ignoring the second statement.

"**_You can hear me!"_** he said, with obvious delight. It was then when she realized that his mouth wasn't moving.

"Yeah…" She said, quietly. "I guess I can… I'm Lauren, by the way."

"_**Nice to meetcha, Lauren!"**_

"Nice to meet you, too, Chris!" She said, cheerfully.

"**_You know my name!" _** He said with obvious delight.

"Yeah." Lauren replied. "T-chan told me." She grimaced a little. Chris noticed the expression and smiled.

"_**Don't mind him. T-chan's not that bad."**_

"Not that bad! He wants to eat me!"

"**_He does that to everyone." _**Chris told her. **_"Hey, Lauren. Do you happen to know where all the animals are? I mean, this is a pet shop…"_**

"Unfortunately not. Why don't you ask the count? Plus, there _is _Q-chan…"

"Oh, yeah. But the count says that he's really human…" 

"Kyu?"

Lauren looked up and smiled at the adorable little winged, fanged rabbit. "Umm. Human, yeah." She said.

"**_Hey! The count said so, so it must be true." _**Chris complained. Lauren humored him and dropped the subject.

"I guess the count was wrong about me, though." She told him.

"**_Wrong? How so?"_** he asked.

"Oh, he said I had an attention span. Now, where do you normally take naps, Chris?"

Chris smiled his cutest, most innocent little boy smile. **_"Actually, I usually don't" _**he said, as casually as possible.

"Nice try." Lauren said, and led him out of the strange ocean room.

"**_Bye-bye, Phillipe!" _**he yelled.

"Bye, man!" the boy in the water called back.

After Lauren had finally gotten Chris to sleep, using a tea on the third shelf called 'Chris's naptime tea', she had gone back to the stalls and finished the mucking out. Strangely, the stalls were still empty of horses, though beautifully dressed men and women seemed to enjoy hanging out in some of the recently cleaned ones.

When she was finished, she went back to the main room and found Count D, her question still burning in her mind.

D sat with the detective, afternoon tea and a small plate of fruit tarts on the table. They looked serious, not fighting for once. The detective was talking…

"It's just… well… my partner's grandmother. She's the prime suspect for the murder of a group of pre-schoolers. He's all broken up about it, and then they take him off of the case, won't tell him anything… see, the thing is, the guy needs someone to talk too. And I can tell, but really, I just suck at that kinda thing. So I thought maybe I could get him a pet. For comfort, you know. Just nothing creepy or dangerous, okay? This is for a good friend of mine, and if anything happens to him you will be behind bars faster than you can say 'Chinatown'. Got it?"

_Creepy? Dangerous? _Lauren thought.

"We don't sell anything "creepy" or "Dangerous", detective." The count said coldly.

"And those man-eating rabbits were…?" Leon asked.

Man eating RABBITS? What kind of a place am I working at? 

"Cute!" D answered with a smile, completely unfazed.

"They most certainly were not!"

"They were too!"

"They nearly destroyed the city!"

"That has no affect on their appearance!"

"Oh, whatever."

Lauren stepped out before the argument could become even more heated. She would have to ask her question later.

D sighed. It had not been a good day. He had been fighting with the detective all through teatime, and the afternoon had not been much of an improvement. Really, what had that family expected to happen when they put their panther on a "healthy" vegetarian diet and then sent their three-year-old daughter in to play with her? He had reasoned with the angry parents for an hour, but in the end they had refused to return Sasha to him, deciding she was dangerous and needed to be put down. They had broken one of the rules of the contract, so they couldn't sue him, but right now a beautiful and gentle friend of his was going to die, and there was nothing he could do. They had her sedated right now, under perfect control. Humans were safety obsessed nowadays, having lost all pride and honor. It used to be when a human fought a panther… but that was long ago. And even back then, humanity was no better. Just braver, less powerful… less dangerous. It used to be that humanity had the ability to see other creatures as human, as people like themselves, without the incense…of course, some humans were different…

He would have to tell her, she deserved to know.

"Speak of the devil." He muttered, his keen ears picking up faint footprints. He would tell her. She would tell Chris, of course, but he would have to learn eventually.

"Laur-" his words cut off abruptly as he caught sight of the shadowy presence across the room.

"Father."


End file.
